Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The present study stems from a concern with the possible occurrence of alcohol abuse on a university campus. The major focus is an exploration of the drinking habits of mostly undergraduate students. An adequate understanding of the above would simplify the task of the university authorities of formulating a relevant alcohol policy and action plan. The survey involves a self-completion questionnaire. The data analysis concentrated on Pearson's correlations and chisquare tests. Significant relationships between the level of alcohol use on the one hand and gender, residence, language, other substance abuse, sport participation, religion, moral values, and sexual activity on the other hand was found. Finally a profile of high-risk, heavier drinking students are provided. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die huidige studie spruit uit 'n besorgdheid oor die voorkoms van alkohol misbruik op 'n universiteitskampus. Die primêre fokus is 'n verkenning van die drinkgewoontes van hoofsaaklik voorgraadse studente. 'n Omvattende begrip van bogenoemde sal die taak vergemaklik van die universiteitsowerhede om 'n toepaslike alkoholbeleid en -aksieplan te formuleer. Die ondersoekende studie behels 'n selfvoltooings vraelys. Die data-analise fokus op Pearson se korrelasies en chi-kwadraat toetse. Beduidende verbande is gevind tussen vlak van alkohol gebruik aan die een kant en geslag, verblyf, taal, ander substansgebruik, sportdeelname, godsdiens, morele waardes en seksuele aktiwiteit aan die ander kant. Laastens word 'n profiel van die hoë risiko, swaarder drinkende studente verstrek.

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is a well known phenomenon that people from historically disadvantaged communities, tend to do well in society despite the numerous risk factors that complicate life for them. This study has this phenomenon as it's subject. The unit of analysis of the study was Grade 12 achievers from a historically disadvantaged community. The main purpose of this study was to determine why these Grade 12 learners managed to excell academically despite the risk factors present in their community. The secondary focus of the study was to identify the risk factors that the learners had to face to eventually achieve academic success and the protective factors which contributed to their academic success. The literature review focussed on the concept "resilience" and related concepts such as risk factors, protective factors and the adolescent development phase within the framework of positive psychology, eco-systemic and asset based approaches. The research was conducted using a qualitative interpretive study approach. Seven achievers from the coloured community in the Western Cape, were interviewed. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The data was discussed by placing the risk factors and the protective factors in five different systems namely, the individual, the family, the school, the peergroup and the community. The findings of the study indicate that the above systems are in constant interaction with one another and that the protective factors can be utilized to overcome the risk factors. The study thus proves that, although the participants were exposed to risk factors, they managed to display great resilience in using protective factors. The community was identified as one of the biggest risk factors, but by utilizing certain protective factors as are found in the individual, the family, the school and the peergroup, the participants were able to protect themselves against the risk factors resulting in their academic success. The personal strengths of the participants proved to be the most important protective factor in a historically disadvantaged community. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit is 'n bekende fenomeen dat persone wat in histories benadeelde omstandighede grootgeword het, ten spyte van risikofaktore, suksesvolle produktiewe lede van die samelewing word. Dit is juis hierdie fenomeen wat dié studie ondersoek het. Hierdie studie het pertinent bruin graad 12-presteerders uit 'n histories benadeelde gemeenskap as eenheid van analise geteiken. Die doel van hierdie studie was om uit te vind waarom graad 12-leerders ten spyte van verskeie risikofaktore binne 'n histories benadeelde gemeenskap daarin geslaag het om akademies goed te presteer. Die newevraagstellings van die studie was om uit te vind watter risikofaktore die deelnemers moes trotseer ten einde akademiese sukses te behaal en ook watter beskermingsfaktore tot hierdie deelnemers se akademiese sukses bygedra het. Die literatuuroorsig het die konsep "veerkragtigheid" en aanverwante begrippe soos risikofaktore, beskermingsfaktore en die adolessente ontwikkelingsfase binne die raamwerk van positiewe sielkunde, die ekosistemiese en bategebaseerde benaderings ondersoek. 'n Kwalitatiewe interpretatiewe studie is geloods om die navorsing uit te voer. Individuele onderhoude is met sewe presteerders uit 'n bruin gemeenskap in die Wes-Kaapprovinsie gevoer. Die data is met behulp van kwalitatiewe inhoudsanalise ontleed. Die data is bespreek deur risikofaktore en beskermingsfaktore binne vyf sisteme naamlik die individu, die gesin, die skool, die portuurgroep en die gemeenskap te plaas. Die bevindings van die studie toon dat bogenoemde sisteme in voortdurende wisselwerking met mekaar is en dat die beskermingsfaktore gebruik kan word om die risikofaktore te bowe te kom. Die bevindinge toon derhalwe dat, alhoewel die deelnemers voortdurend risikofaktore ervaar het, hulle met behulp van sekere beskermingsfaktore veerkragtigheid aan die dag kon lê. Die gemeenskap is as een van die grootste risikofaktore uitgelig, maar met behulp van sekere beskermingsfaktore soos gevind in die individu, die gesin, die skool, en die portuurgroep, kon die deelnemers hulleself teen risikofaktore buffer en akademiese sukses behaal. Die persoonlike sterktes van die deelnemers het as die belangrikste beskermingsfaktor in 'n histories benadeelde gemeenskap na vore getree.

This thesis, motivated by my reflections about the failings of monetary policy implementation as a cause of the sub-prime crisis, attempts to answer the following inquiries: (i) whether interest rates have played a major role in generating the house price fluctuations in the U.S., (ii) what are the effects of accommodative monetary policy on the economy given banks' excessive risk-taking, and (iii) whether an optimal monetary policy rule can be found for curbing credit-driven economic volatilities in the model economy with unconventional transmission channels operating. By using a decomposition technique and regression analysis, it can be shown that short-term interest rates exert the most potent influence on the evolution of the volatile components of housing prices. One possible explanation for this is that low policy rates for a prolonged period tend to encourage bankers to take on more risk in lending. This transmission channel, labelled as the risk-taking channel, accounts for the gap to some extent between the forecast and the actual impact of monetary policy on the housing market and the overall economy. A looser monetary policy stance can also shift the preference of economic agents toward housing as theoretically and empirically corroborated in the context of choice between durable and nondurable goods. This transmission route is termed the preference channel. If these two channels are operative in the economy, policy makers need to react aggressively to rapid credit growth in order to stabilize the paths of housing prices and output. These findings provide meaningful implications for monetary policy implementation. First of all, central bankers should strive to identify in a timely fashion newly emerging and state-dependent transmission channels of monetary policy, and accurately assess the impact of policy decisions transmitted through these channels. Secondly, the intervention of central banks in the credit or housing market by adjusting policy rates can be optimal, relative to inaction, in circumstances where banks' risk-taking and the preference for housing are overly exuberant.

Adolescent reckless behavior is a major concern for society because it leads to the three most common causes of mortality for this age group. Body image and self-esteem have been proposed as constructs that have an effect on adolescents’ participation in reckless behavior. Self-esteem, however, has been garnering criticism in recent years for promoting narcissism and downward social comparison with others. Self-compassion is an alternative to self-esteem that focuses on accepting oneself and having feelings of common humanity. This report proposes a study that would measure reckless behavior in adolescents, and look at the effect self-compassion, self-esteem, and body image has on it. In addition, self-compassion will be examined to see if it moderates the effect body image has on self-esteem. / text

This study seeks to examine the influence of key cultural values like machismo, familism, traditionalism, and religiosity on self-efficacy in reducing HIV risk among Mexican-origin IDUs. The purpose of this examination hinges on the importance of including cultural concepts/values not only to facilitate process, but also to add a cultural dimension to an HIV/AIDS intervention that may facilitate attitudinal and behavioral change as well. The findings suggest that culturally innovative approaches can facilitate HIV/AIDS risk reduction among male Mexican-origin drug injectors. The importance of key cultural values like machismo is underscored by its association with HIV risk reduction for both sexual and injection related risks. Intervention programs must identify strategies to incorporate cultural values in their research and evaluation of intervention efficacy. Culturally innovative approaches hold the promise of substantially reducing HIV risk behaviors among Hispanic drug injectors, and may hold promise for other populations affected by HIV/AIDS as well.

The purpose of this research was to examine how the intervening variable of comparative well-being (which is how persons view their age, financial resources, and health compared to others of their own age) will enhance the significance of the relationship between selected demographic and psychographic variables and perceived risk. Specifically, the research investigated the structural relationship between comparative well-being in four different statistical models: (1) as an independent predictor of perceived risk; (2) as an intensifier of the psychographic and demographic predictors of perceived risk; (3) as a covariate of perceived risk; and (4) finally, as a jointly dependent variable with perceived risk. This approach was pursued in an effort to enhance the traditional marketing use of demographic and psychographic variables in predictingconsumer buying behavior. The data for this study were gathered as part of a national consumer-panel mail survey utilizing approximately 3,000 households. The research instrument was a self-administered questionnaire which collected demographic, psychographic, and perceived risk information from purchasers of apparel wear. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation analysis, factor analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The findings have identified the importance of how consumers position themselves in society, based on their locus of external involvement (community and social activity) and how satisfactory their position is in their social structure as measured by comparative well-being (perceived age, income, and health). The research results challenge the value of using only age and income as predictor variables for perceived risk, in that no significant relationships were found between age, income, and perceived risk. However, comparative well-being was found to intensify these relationships, in addition to functioning as an independent variable and a covariate in the perceived risk relationship. Also, it was found that respondents with higher degrees of comparative well-being perceived less risk, whereas, more socially active respondents were high-risk perceivers.

Effects of selection risk on sex discrimination in hiring were investigated. Ninety-six male and female educational administration graduate students rated ficticious resumes on suitability for hiring for the female-oriented position of secondary school teacher. Sex and selection risk level were varied, with sex of rater as an assigned factor. Analysis of variance yielded significant main effects for sex (p < .01) and selection risk level (p < .05). All ratings were lower in high selection-risk situations, with males preferred over females across both levels of risk. Results suggested that ratings were based on a stereotype of female inferiority in work efficiency, overriding job sex-orientation as a decision factor.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

HIV/AIDS is a growing concern in the African American community. From 2005 to 2008, there was a 12% increase in HIV/AIDS diagnoses among African Americans (CDC, 2010a). African American males have higher rates of HIV/AIDS diagnoses than any other ethnic or racial groups. In 2006, 65% of the HIV/AIDS cases among African Americans were from adult males (CDC, 2010a). These higher rates are in part attributed to higher levels of sexual risk-taking including unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners, and sex with high-risk partners. African American adult men get tested at almost the same rate (52%) as African American women 53% (CDC, 2007). HIV testing is important to the prevention of HIV/AIDS and can result in substantial reductions in risk behaviors (Marks, Crepaz, & Janssen, 2006; Weinhardt, Carey, Johnson, & Bickham, 1999). Masculinity, a man’s concept of what it means to be man, influences engagement in sexual risk-taking behaviors (Bowleg, 2004, Duck, 2009; Lichtenstein, 2004), as well as health-seeking behaviors (Hammond, Matthews, Mohottige, Agyemang, & Corbie-Smith, 2010; Royster, Richmond, Eng, & Margolis, 2006). One form of masculinity, hypermasculinity is related to sexual risk-taking behaviors, especially among young African American males. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the relationship between hypermasculinity and sexual risk-taking, and HIV testing among African American males. One hundred twenty-six African American male college students were recruited to participate in an HIV prevention intervention for African American women on a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) campus. Prior to participating in the intervention, participants completed a questionnaire with measures of hypermasculinity, sexual behavior, and HIV testing. The results showed that hypermasculinity predicted frequency of sex. Hypermasculinity and frequency of sex predicted lifetime HIV testing. Frequency of sex and the number of sex partners predicted current HIV testing (in the past month). The interaction between hypermasculinity and frequency of sex was marginally significant. The findings from this research may increase our understanding of sexual risk-taking, improve HIV testing initiatives, and be useful in the development of HIV prevention programs for African American heterosexual males.

Affect and feelings states influences decision-making and risk-taking, however is it not clear yet how. This report presents a between-subject experiment on the two mechanisms, affective evaluation and affect regulation, and on how risk-taking redirects depending on which of the two is active. Incidental affect (positive, negative or neutral) was induced by pictures in an online experiment with 999 participants, who conducted the Columbia Card Task (CCT) to measure the risk-taking. The participants were informed prior to the task that gambling either makes people happy (mood-lifting cue), sad (mood-threatening cue) or has no effect on people’s mood (mood-freezing cue). The predicted results in this experiment was not found. However, the results indicate that mood changing qualities of a task can be manipulated and that further research about the interaction between incidental and integral affect is needed. The results also displayed how fleeting induced affect can be and consciousness about what affect is used is discussed.